Meade, Magdalen, 1913-2005

Dates

Existence: 1913-2005

Magdalen Walsh Meade, farmwoman and political organizer, was born January 12, 1913 in Riverside, Iowa. Her parents were Cornelius W. Walsh (1874-1947) and Pellagia A. Birrer Walsh (1878-1959). Magdalen Walsh attended St. Mary's Grade School and graduated from St. Mary's High School in Riverside, Iowa in 1930. She also attended Clarke College in Dubuque, Iowa from 1931 to 1932. On January 2, 1936 Magdalen Walsh married Ralph James Meade. The couple farmed in southeast Iowa, and eventually resided in Mount Pleasant, Iowa with their children. Along with the responsibilities of being a farmwoman, Magdalen Meade was also active in politics, serving as Henry County Democratic Party chairman, and continued to be active in Democratic Party activities and campaigns through the 1980s. Meade also served as secretary of the Mount Pleasant Historic Preservation Commission for twelve years during the late 1980s and 1990s.